Death and Rebirth
by Phoenix-Fire Power
Summary: AU The funeral of Edward Elric ia overcome by tears and emotions as Edwards soul watches it all before making his choice in the afterlife. Oneshot


-1**A/N: ****hey people!  
I know, I know. Son of Flame. Please refer to the story 'Sins Collection PrideEd' for a note on that.**

**The bunnies have been biting me lately and even though I have a requested fic from PuppysNrainbows, don't worry Puppy I will try to get to it!, I had to write this one as well.**

**Basically this is an AU oneshot where Edward was killed during a mission and this is his funeral as his spirit watches it.**

**Really sad though I'll tell you that.**

**Well I hope you guys like it.**

**Oh and side note. I don't know why but I had to add Russell and Fletcher for some reason, I don't know why. I don't like the old anime.**

**Oh well.**

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing.**

"We now pay a tribute to Colonel Edward Elric. He had died with his pride and loyalty intact and…" the Furher continued to ramble.

Edward Elric watched the entire exchange slightly in the air. He was nothing more then a spirit. No one can see him, hear him, feel him, or anything.

But he was able to hear and see everything.

He saw Roys dark face. He saw Armstrongs place a hand over his eyes as he tried to control his tears.

Riza. She didn't bother to try and hide her own tears. For once her composed face giving into her emotions. Havoc, Falman, Kain, and Breda also stood there next to Roy and Riza. Havoc seemed to be confused; Ed had heard him say to himself earlier _"The chief can't really be dead…right?" _The other three had a look of disbelief on their faces.

Gracia and Elicia were there too. Elicia now had a better understanding of what was happening but she still had asked her mother _"Why is big brother going where daddy is?"_

He could hear Winrys screams and grandmother Pinakos comforting. He could see Russell and Fletcher staring blankly at the coffin where his body laid. He saw Al, still in the armor, looking down at the ground and ignoring everyone that tried to console him. He was shaking and Ed could hear his gasping breaths. If Al could cry he would've cried buckets.

He saw Rose standing there crying as well. Her lips moved in silent prayer.

Teacher was there as well. Along with Sig and Mason. Teacher had a steel look in her eyes that he and Al had come to know quite well. Sig had his head bowed and Mason seemed to be a bit lost.

"Now people can come up to the coffin and say their private goodbyes. You can come alone or with someone else. Your choice." the Furher finally concluded.

It was a unanimous decision to let Al go first. He walked slowly to the coffin as if he walked any faster he would collapse.

The Furher and his subordinates left the lead where the coffin laid to give the people some privacy and everyone else walked a few feet away.

"Brother." Al began before stopping. His voice began to shake again. "I don't really know what to say really." he whispered.

"This is a joke right?" he asked finally looking up at the coffin. "I mean any minute your going to come out of there and laugh at all of us right?"

"_I wish Al. I truly wish I could" _Edward thought watching his brother say his final goodbye.

"I mean come on. You can't be stopped like that. Because of one bullet. Think of how everyone is going to feel. We'll all miss you. Brother." he said, his voice wavering his hands went to his face and he sobbed.

Whenever Edward looked at Al he never saw the armor, he always saw the little boy he had grown up with the same way he looked the day of the transmutation. And now he felt his heart shatter as he watched his little brother cry.

"I'll miss you so much. I already do." he said. "I'm sorry. I don't really know what to say."

He said before turning around and walking back to his seat.

Winry was next. She stepped up to the casket. Ed chuckled when he saw she had the same wrench that he had given her for her birthday in her hand. What was she going to do? Hit the coffin?

She got in front of the coffin and stopped just staring at it blankly.

"Why." she whispered, holding tighter to the wrench. "Why did you have to die?"

"Please come back. I promise I will never hit you with a wrench again. The repairs will be for free and everything else too. Please. I love you Edward. I love you so much. Please." she whispered, before breaking down and crying. She held the wrench tightly to her as she sobbed. "Please."

Russell surprisingly was the one that came to her and helped her to her seat **[No this isn't a couple thing. It's an 'I'm sorry I impersonated your boyfriend and I am trying to make it up to him' kind of thing.] **Before he led her back to her seat he looked over his shoulder and started to open his mouth to say something. He shook his head and walked away supporting Winry.

Pinako came up now after laying a supportive hand on Winrys shoulder. She stopped a few feet away from the casket and just stared at it for a few moments.

"I always thought out of all of us I would go first. But turns out it were my daughter and son in law. I thought I was next but it turned out to be your mother. And now when I thought it was time for me it turned out to be you." she said. She closed her eyes. "I wish it had been me instead of you Edward."

"I watched you grow up and I thought of you and Al as one of my own grandchildren. I watched you age and learn. And now I never thought I would watch this. Your funeral." she said quietly.

"I'll miss you deeply Edward." she whispered before turning around and going back to her seat next to Winry.

Teacher was after her. She walked confidently with her head held high and not a tear or any sadness visible on her face. In fact she looked kinda angry.

Ed looked on in amusement as she was in front of the casket. All of a sudden she screamed and started to beat it with her hands.

"Edward Elric!! I did not train you for you to die like this!! You were so frecken tough and that's how you die?! A bullet?! A little piece of metal!? A quarter of your body was made of metal!" she screamed while banging on the casket. The poundings got lighter and lighter however with each one as she finally fell to her knees in tears, though her fist kept banging on the wood weakly. "Why? Why is it that I keep losing my children?" she whispered, tears falling onto the ground.

She kept sobbing on the ground until Sig came to her and lifted her up. He placed an arm around her shoulders and led her away. He looked back at the casket.

"Thank you Edward." he said before leading Izumi away.

Ed was confused. Thank you for what?

Now Rose walked up to it. She bowed her head once she was in front of it and said a few sentences under her breath. When she picked up her head her eyes were glistening with tears.

"Edward. I want to thank you. You showed me the truth and you helped me live again. You showed me that I choose my own path. You were a great boy Edward, and I know that if you had the time then you would have been a greater man." she said. "May your soul go to heaven swiftly and may you find eternal happiness."

She finished and walked back to her seat, her head bowed and crying softly.

Next was Riza. She walked steadily to the casket and placed a hand on it gently. Tears fell from her eyes as she said "Edward. I remember when you first joined our group. You were just a scared little twelve year old boy. You hid the fear well but…" she trailed off. "Over these years I have come to love you in a way. And I knew that after you and your brother restored your bodies, if Roy had finally become Furher and changed that fratnization law and he would've asked me to marry him we would've adopted you and your brother."

"I love you Edward, my little boy." she whispered before turning and leaving.

Edward watched as tears fell down his own face as Fletcher, as Havoc, as Bread Falman and Kain walked up to the casket and said their own goodbyes. He sobbed as he Armstrong came up, as Gracia and Elicia came up. Each one ended basically the same.

"Goodbye Edward."

"Take care chief."

"So long kid."

"Goodbye Colonel."

"See you Ed."

"Goodbye Edward Elric."

"Be careful Ed. And say hello to Maes for me and Elicia will you?"

"Goodbye little big brother."

The only person that didn't come up and say anything was surprisingly Roy. He just stood there his gaze on the ground as everyone else said their goodbyes. He didn't approach the casket or even take a simple step forward. He didn't move a muscle as or look up as they finally lifted the casket and laid it gently into the already dug grave and began to fill it up. The area was filled with sobs and screams as each clump of dirt filled the hole. Each cry rose up into the air as one until they were undistinguishable.

"Brother!"

"Edward!"

"Ed!"

"Big brother!"

Until the hole was completely filled and the ceremony was over.

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One by one each person left. Rose, Russell, and Fletcher were the first ones; they had a train to catch after all.

Then the Furher and his subordinates, they needed to get back to work.

Izumi, Sig, and Mason were next. They also had to catch a train and they had to get back to their shop.

Armstrong was next to leave. After trying and failing to console Alphonse and Winry he stayed for a few more moments before leaving the family to have a private moment once more.

Finally a few hours later Pinako, Winry, and Al slowly left the cemetery with a promise to be back tomorrow first thing in the morning.

It seemed like there was no one left but then two figures came out from the shadow of the trees. It was Roy with Riza loyally by his side. Together they walked up to the grave.

In silence they examined the words on the stone as well as the saying Alphonse had put up on it.

Colonel Edward Elric

December 18, 1898- April 3, 1914

'_All is one, one is all'_

Edward watched as Roy stared at the stone with emotionless eyes until he finally said something.

"Was it necessary to have the Colonel part? Edward hated having anything to do with the military."

"He died while on a mission. It was deemed proper by everyone else." Riza dutifully answered.

"Promoted two ranks in death huh?" Roy asked rhetorically.

Silence passed as the spirit Edward watched the two of them.

"Why you idiot? Why the hell did you see the need to go into a maniacs den before waiting for us to arrive?" Roy asked of the tombstone. "You knew he was insane and yet you still went in alone. You little idiot. You runt." he choked out before pulling the traditional military standard hat over his face.

Roys shoulders shook as he whispered "Edward, my son. I'm sorry that we…that I couldn't make it there in time to save you. Please forgive me."

The sun shone brightly against the cloudless sky as Roy then said "Ah. It's starting to rain."

"Yes." Riza agreed nodding her head. "We should get home before we get wet."

After casting one last look over their shoulders at the grave they exited and walked in the direction of their homes.

Edward watched them walk away as the scenery around him faded into darkness until he was at a familiar place once more.

"And now you have three choices Edward Elric." the voice said. Edward didn't turn to face them as they said "One go to heaven and be reborn into the world of the living once more. Two deny your death and be in one place as a ghost forever. Or three. Haunt and kill one person who lives now."

"But if you do that your soul will go to hell to be punished for all of eternity" they added.

"Which do you chose?" they asked.

Edward bit his lip. He finally turned around and faced the gatekeeper. It was a teenage girl with long black hair in a flowing black dress of some sort. She stared at him apprehensively.

"There would be one person that I wanted to kill and they are already dead." he said meaning the person who had killed him.

"Being in one place forever is boring. You can't do anything and you can't go anywhere." he continued.

"So I guess that leaves being reborn." he said placing his hands in his pockets.

The girl nodded her head but before she could do anything Edward asked her "What happens to my friends?"

The girl tilted her head and answered swiftly "Roy Mustang successfully becomes Furher because of the tips you had left him and changes the laws that enable him to marry Riza Hawkeye."

"Winry Rockbell never marries nor commits to one person but becomes a well known automail mechanic and will own several branches over the world."

"All of your friends will lead happy lives until their end. You have nothing to worry about there."

"What about my brother? What will happen to him?" Edward asked.

"He continues the two of yours research under persistence from Winry Rockbell and Izumi Curtis. On the day believed to be the 'Promised Day' by the homunculi he and your father stop them and retrieve his body from the gate of sin. He becomes a doctor and marries a princess from the country of Xing called Mei Chang. He lives happily until his end." she stated looking at Edward.

Edward nodded. "Now I can go peacefully." he said.

"Then go. Live again."

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Five Years Later

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Maes Mustang slumped in his chair. Where were his mother and father? They said that he was going to be a big brother and he wanted to see the baby _now._

Dad said it might be a boy or a girl. Maes hoped it was a boy; he didn't want some girly little sister but a little brother who he could teach a bunch of stuff to.

"Maes don't slouch." came the voice of his godmother Gracia Hughes.

"Yes ma'm." he said, automatically while sitting up. With his hand he brushed his black hair away from his eyes. He was practically a clone of his father. Except for his eyes. He had his mothers brown eyes.

Meanwhile in the delivery room Riza Mustang felt another contraction go through her.

"We can see the head Mrs. Mustang. Just a little more." the doctor said from his place at her open legs.

"Come on Riza. Just a little more." Roy coaxed. Riza threw him a dirty look. Easy for _him _to say that. He didn't have to push a watermelon through his legs.

Riza grunted and gritted her teeth until she finally felt the baby go free and its cries fill the room.

"It's a boy!" the doctor announced.

"A boy." she murmured.

"You did great Riza." Roy said nuzzling her forehead with his.

"Next time. You will do that." she panted looking at him.

He laughed. "You said that last time."

She threw him another look as the nurse came back with their baby wrapped up in a blue blanket and handed him to Riza.

Riza took him gently against her chest and smiled down at him. He scrunched up his face slightly before opening his eyes. He had some blonde hair on top of his head and already his eyes were darkening to black like Roys.

"Do you have a name?" the nurse asked holding a pen to the birth certificate.

Roy and Riza looked at each other for a moment before nodding.

"His name…is Edward." Roy said, looking down at his son.

Back at the gate the gatekeeper looked down at the scene and gave a small smile.

**It's done? It's finally done?**

**Thank you!**

**I could not stop until I finished it I tell you.**

**My fingers hurt like heck.**

**I'm guessing I won't be able to play the piano tomorrow.**

**And yeah Edward Mustang is the reincarnation of Edward. And yes he will have Rizas blonde hair and Roys black eyes.**

**I like that combo, seems cool.**

**I think I got some of their reactions down to the notch. I mean I could totally picture Izumi doing that if that happened to Edward. Screaming and hitting then slowly collapsing into tears.**

**And yeah Roy and Riza had a son before the new Edward. Maes Mustang.**

**This will most likely remain an oneshot unless people want more and if I get or you give me a good idea.**

**Any questions or comments just leave them in a review.**

**Oh and cookies to whomever can figure out where I got that gate, gatekeeper, and choices from!**

**This is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.**


End file.
